


Big brother Naruto

by Rbook



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: ASL boys adapt to somone caring, AU world, Also the kids on thier journy, May or may not be in order, Multi, Naruto is Just Naruto, Snippets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 06:05:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9371411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rbook/pseuds/Rbook
Summary: What would happen if Naruto was blasted from his world and landed on Dawn Island? He would, of course, take care of the three little brats running around causing mayhem. Watch as his presence changes and doesn't change the lives of Ace Sabo and Luffy for better or worse. This is from my ASL bros week AU and may be a whole other story in itself.





	1. Naruto's Pov

Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuuriki of the nine tails fox Kurama, had been through many things in his life. Battling the odds, falling down to hit rock bottom and getting back up through blood and fire. It was a common concept in his life. If things were getting better something equally as horrible were going to ruin it. That was what life, fate and destiny had taught him. To retaliate he changed all of them and did what many dream of but could never achieve.

He created peace.

He managed to bring together all the villages, despite their differences and hatred, to win a war against a mad man. He pulled at people until they realized that they lived under the curse known as the circle of hate and broke it without a second thought.

He fought alongside the very people who once upon a time , screamed for his blood. Who believe he didn't deserve to live. Who claim his existence a sin. Who made it their life goal to convince the lonely orphan that he was as unwanted as demons.

Naruto heard it every day in his childhood. Heard it as he walked through the streets, saw it when parents pulled their children away and felt it in his very bones when the villagers eyes were turn to him.

 _Why are you alive?_ The eyes always seem to say, _can't you see you are unneeded, unwanted, unloved?_

The Leaf villagers had no quarrels with letting him know just what they thought of him. Every single day, without fail someone managed to belittle him in some way. Some even acted as if though he deserves this treatment regardless of the fact he was barely a decade old and thus had done nothing to gain such scorn.

For a while he even believed them but then he found his precious people; the ones who showed him the value of life, the feeling of love and the reason to continue fighting for his dreams despite the raising odds against him. True, he used to shout them at the top of his lungs back when he was a snot nose brat, but most times they were empty words. Only noise from someone who was never heard, not matter how much he made, desperate for even a glance from those around him.

Naruto knew he had some unresolved issues that stem from his childhood. He had spoken about them a bit with Jiraiya before the toad sage had died but he never truly opened up to someone about it. Others just assume he was strong enough to endure it while few who didn't even know he had problems. But to have told the wandering hermit, even if only a tiny bit, relieved more pressure in his chest then he could have ever known was there. He had remembered making a tiny comment about wanting to be Hokage so people could acknowledge him and somehow Jiraiya had heard the underlined desperation he carried with him. The old pervert probed the Uzumaki until an entire hour passed of Naruto doing nothing but sobbing and explain his experience.

He had felt so emotionally raw afterwards but lighter as well. The next day the toad sage didn't bring it up pass "If you need to talk about it I'm here. Just remember that. I will _always_ be here"

Naruto never brought up again but he never forgot the rush of gratitude he felt for the sage either.

This was why when he was walking home one night from the Gray Terminal of the strange new world he found himself in after the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto had allowed the three children who had made the misjudgment of him being a easy target get away with noting more than a few bruises and a small lecture about proper mugging techniques. The Do's and Don'ts that every ninja knew, when trailing a target and how to successfully get away with everything they own. All three seemed too stunned to react to his words and didn't argue when the blond waved them away telling them "Hurry off, it's getting pretty late"

They were gone in a flash, under the darkness of the night from which they jumped out off. It had been three days since that late afternoon, and the ex-Leaf villager had not seen head or hair of all three. It wasn't like he was looking for them however, because if he was, Naruto guaranteed he would have found them in under an hour. The people of this strange new world were so unaware of their surroundings it was almost laughable; they could have been surrounded and not realized it until it was too late back home, by child _civilians._

He tried not to think of them too hard, focused on creating a life after the war in the new dimension his final Justu blasted him to and setting up business using clones to really be of any help to them. He had sacrificed himself so that the Element Nations could stay standing, now he had to sacrifice his own morals until he was settled enough to really do anything. He knew this. Hell, he was trained like this all his life.

Yet Naruto could not get the boy with the freckles out of his head no matter how much training he has gone through, for in his eyes he had seen what he never wish to see again.

He had seen Gaara, a boy who's entire world revolved around killing to prove he even existed.

He had seen Sasuke, a boy with nothing left but the desire to make the world pay for his pain.

He saw Neji, a boy trapped in the life he was born to, forever caged until the end, even if he died with a smile.

He saw himself, a boy who doubted his right to live, even when shouting he would be number one if it killed him.

And Naruto Uzumaki, Element Nations or not, would not leave someone like that alone.

* * *

 

It wasn't hard to track the three younger boys down.

The three had quite a reputation among the Gray Terminal and various other places. Apparently he was the only one had fought them off by himself when the three little muggers attacked. Everyone else weren't that lucky or that skilled to do so. There were many looking to get petty revenge, all too willing to help out a follow "hunter" find the three. Naruto thankfully did not tell them why he was searching for the children, content with letting the fools believe what they wanted.

He was able to piece together their haunting grounds however, from the large amount of victims the three left in their wake. It was well planned, for civilians to say the least. They would always wait for either the early morning or the late afternoon using people drowsiness against them. After effectively knocking out their targets the three little "demons" would make off with whatever the poor saps had on them and disappear without a trace. Then they would pop again in a different area allowing the wariness from the previous to cool down from the people in them and repeat the process as many times as needed.

They were followed by angry crowds before but most were either beat away or thrown off trail.

This is where Naruto's ninja training paid off the most. It wasn't hard to find information on them, nor find the general direction they usually took. After all, the three were known for coming from the large forest area.

They used the forest to lose any who followed and while they were skilled in doing so, the three were no match for a Leaf ninja especially one as determined as him. He keep to the trees watching as all three hunted animals far larger then he was used to unless of course he was in the Forest of Death or had seen someone summon in the heat of battle. The blond man guessed they had no formal teacher and had learned how to survive solely on the environment around them. He liked their efforts but the sloppy forms they fell into when attacking had his inner ninja scoffing. Even Naruto wasn't that bad when he was their age, and he was dead last of his class.

The strongest one was the freckled boy but that was only due to his rare physical strength. He had no control of his emotions and tended to get angry easily something that could one day cost him his life.

The second boy, no older then the first, was strong but his greatest strength was his brain. The boy was quick to think on his feet, create plans and applied it to the two others subconsciously; he would be a good squad leader. However he also tended to forgo plans and rush in regardless of the dangers around him.

The last and youngest, had an odd blood line, one that allowed him to stretch any part of his body at will even launch them from far away areas. He however was the worst. The straw wearing boy did not plan, did not think and sometimes didn't even notice when there was danger around. His entire fight style relied on his instincts, his devil luck and the backup of the two others. He had so much potential though, in fact they all did.

If given the proper training the three would grow to be a force to be reckoned with.

Naruto watched them for the rest of the afternoon making sure to take notes of their individual fighting techniques , already planning the proper forms for each.

* * *

 

He knew they were there. It was his plan from the beginning.

Naruto wasn't a fool. If he tried to approach them then the two older ones would instantly be on guard against him while the younger would accept him without a doubt of him betraying them. This the blond teen gathered from the hours spent watching them. He had learned all of their names a well, Ace , Sabo and Luffy. Such odd ones, true, but he was fishcake so he couldn't really say much on the topic.

The ninja had noticed many things about them in over a week.

For example Ace had the tendency to push his bangs from his face whenever he thought of something mischievous. Sabo was easy to scare if the pranks the other two played on him were any indication and Luffy would stare at his siblings whenever they wouldn't notice. He had seen that look before, it was the same one Konohamaru had directed at him way back when, and he knew the little straw hat boy hero worship the others in the privacy of his mind.

He knew all this and more, from his observations, using all the ninja spy training Jiriaya had stuff into his head during their two years together.

It was odd to do ninja things again.

When he first woken up, Naruto had to use Genjustus and clones to gather information on the world he landed in. He spent months and months gathering what little he could scrape up, sneaking into libraries and even looking into building illegal businesses that way he could have some form of income. When it became a fact that he would never see his home again the blond boy had shut down and almost lost his mind but he stubbornly pushed through, determined to at least find a way to survive if not for himself then for those he left behind.

Sure his clones now ran pretty successful ramen stands, clothes shops, wood art galleries and even a blacksmith shop the blond had done nothing in that time to really apply the usage of his previous career.

He had gotten soft and started to slack in his training due to this. But there really didn't seemed like a point to it anymore, after all as far as Naruto knew ninja were considered a myth here.

It was too painful to realize he was in a world that didn't have the ninja system, instead had something called the World Government. He only gathered information from Dawn Island and the few boats that docked on it so it was very limited but Naruto would bet his Leaf headband that the World Government wasn't as "peaceful good doers" as the world believed.

Everything he heard about them made red flags wave and alarms ring in his head; In the Element Nations most of the stories people told about the World Government would be called out on the sugar coating for being too darn sweet. They sounded too good to be true, and based off the Gray Terminal with High Town, they were obviously hiding the darkness from the public.

But that was not his problem. No Naruto only cared about the three hungry boys that watched him from the bushes as he continued gutting the crocodile he capture. He wondered what he looked like to them. As far as he saw, no one besides the three ever tried to eat the meat from these large beasts and he knew that they recognized him from the week before. Would they come out or stay hidden in their poor disguise?

Which reminded the whiskered teen, who taught them that placing a few leafs- and flowers in Luffy's case- in their hair were enough to blend into the bushes completely? They hadn't even bothered covering their faces.

Something he needed to work on later on. After all, how could they pull pranks when they were so easy to notice?

"Don't eat that brat. It's not cooked yet, it'll make you sick" The words left his mouth absentmindedly as he finished skinning the croc. Behind him he felt Luffy stiffen in shock, little hand stretching for the fresh meat on the blanket he sat on. Naruto smirked when the bushes stared to shake in rage and knew the other two were panicking about Luffy's safety. Again.

"If you want to eat something go ahead and take the fruits in the bag, but you'll have to wait for the meat, understand?" Naruto asked as he turned to stare into the strawhat boy's eyes.

Luffy peered up at him in wonder most likely shocked that he was offered food but that quickly slipped away as the boy all but dived for the promise bag. He shoved all of the food into his mouth without hesitation and took off just as fast throwing a "Thanks shishishis!" over his shoulder as he went. He rounded a tree and was back into the bushes his friends were in not seeming to understand it could give away their location. Naruto pretended not to see however, as he wanted the kids to stay.

The teen just raised his hand casually as he started a fire intending to eat his meal. He had just placed the meat over the flame when twin pipes swung at the back of his head. Seem like Ace and Sabo wanted to try mugging him again. Well, they shouldn't be disappointed if they thought he wouldn't fight back.

Ducking under the pipes skillfully Naruto quickly turned on his heels and grabbed the boys by a wrist, as they were still in mid air from their attack. He ignored their startled looks and promptly throws them against the ground. They rolled onto their feet quickly much to his approvable, and spilt up to surround him on both sides. Both were clutching their pipes pretty hard, glaring at him like one would a vermin.

"Why are you attacking me?" Naruto asked honestly curious about the answer. He hadn't done anything threatening to them or to the younger one. He knew that they were smart enough not to simply jump into a fight they knew they couldn't win. So an explanation of their sudden surprise attack would be lovely.

One he didn't get as both boys jumped at him again with a battle cry.

The blond ninja reframed from rolling his eyes at their attacks and deflected all of their attempts to land a blow on him.

Eventually Luffy joined in and their teamwork started to improve dramatically. Naruto made a mental note to train them in fighting in pairs, or individually. It was obvious they were rarely away from each other but a day would come when the two others wouldn't be able to help and they needed to be able to adapt to that. The blond ninja moved to jab Luffy in the ribs, swung to kick out Sabo's legs and then caught Ace's pipe making sure to push the boys into better battle stances with each touch. They didn't notice but their attacks did start to get more solid, and Naruto was glad for their quick learning skills.

He may have never been a Jounin sensei but Naruto had taught at the academy sometimes when Iruka asked him for a favor. He pretty much did everything his teachers did to teach him and knew that one's bad habits were easier broken in the middle of battle. Plus it was funnier a hands on exercise then study books or scroll. Unless of course that scroll was forbidden then it got interesting.

Eventually all three dropped from exestuation Unable to move beyond the occasional groan of pain. The blond blinked down at them, confused on why they tried out so quickly when he remembered the lack of chakra in this world. Even academy students back home had higher endurance due to the constant flow of life energy in them, unlocked as it was, and sometimes Naruto forgot that the people of this world did not have it. Well he guesses he could work around that, maybe even boost their stamina beyond anyone else around them.

But first thing, first; He needed to make them his students.

"So, you guys hungry?" He asked as he pulled the meat off of the flame.

The boys could only numbly nod.

* * *

 

"Here" Naruto placed a large bag in each of the boys' lap two weeks later.

He had kept coming back to the river, hunting the large crocodiles and casually going off to take a lion for their fur. Naruto used all the skin to make clothes, his sales among the nobles rose to shocking levels due to it. This was his excused for being in the forest. He had even brought a sketched book once just to design some coats knowing the three boys were watching him. He didn't have to full out say it but Sabo was smart enough to figure it out and had most likely told the others for their weariness had noticeable lowered around him.

Naruto made a point of always placing three extra plates on his picnic blanket regardless of the fact if the children joined him or not. He always smiled when he got up and went to check his traps, to find all three plates empty, stacked perfectly on the blanket when he returned. He was a little peeved that they took his share too, but never did much about it. If they we willing to try to mug him, then the ninja found it reasonable to steal his unguarded food as well.

He decided to place unseen traps on his share next time so they will learn two lessons at once. A) how to direct traps and b) don't steal Naruto's food.

He grinned as the traps caught all three that morning allowing him the golden opportunity with delivering each their bag.

"Wha?" Ace mumbled as he tried to untie himself. The boy had fallen in to one of the ninja's springs traps which wrapped around his body in seconds. Luffy had been caught by a foot and was then pinning to the ground when he stepped on a tripwire. Sabo was still trying to get out of the small pit, unaware of the seals preventing him from doing so, frustrated that he couldn't grip onto the wall.

"You brats have been wearing the same thing for over two weeks." Was all Naruto said as he packed up his stuff, walking away casually.

He made a point to throw down some rope for Sabo as he walked by, knowing the boy would release the other two once he was free.

"If it don't fit let me know. I'll get the right sizes for ya"

Naruto hoped the kids like their new clothes, he spent hours brainstorm designs for them and not to mention the time he spent making said clothes. It would be such a waste if they didn't use them.

He smiled when he heard Luffy's excited scream carried by the wind reach his ears "Mine shirt had meat on it!"

* * *

 

"Raise your hands a bit more and put your right foot forward"

Ace jumped a good foot off the ground which was hilarious to the blond. The boy hadn't heard his approach, too focus on improving his fighting style without the pipe all three seemed to carry around. Naruto approved of his forethought, as there was no grantee one would be available to him at all times. It was nice to know the kid had spent time practicing , but his starting form weaken his defense a bit so the blond ninja thought he would give him some pointers.

"What the hell-? Go away before I kill you!" The child roared at Naruto, seemly unpleased with his audience.

"Kill me?" the teen teased "With that stance?"'

This made Ace snap as the raven child charged at him. He swung wildly no real plan in fighting him, just trying to land a blow. His moves seemed sloppier then usual but no means less dangers. Naruto dodged effortlessly, eyes closed just cause he could, surprised that he couldn't sense the other two nearby. Seemed like it was just Ace today.

Always angry Ace.

"Amazing Ace! You have gotten so much better since the last time I saw you!" he encouraged as the boy fist nearly broke his nose. "You're darn amazing! Try to put more weight on your left foot though, it helps with controlling jumps"

The raven child roared again in outrage, but did take the blond's advice , seeing as his fist was much closer than last time. Naruto smiled in satisfaction. He made a habit to randomly yelled out improvements when facing the boys as the three challenged him every time they crossed paths. The kids had all taken to his secret lessons like fish did to water, and tended to apply each comment during the battles.

Luffy would get excited each time Naruto praised him, while Sabo would accept the advice with a small nod of gratitude, Ace however seemed to take it as an insult.

The teen thought it was kind of cute how angry the other got over such a small comment, but frown when he noticed the lack of attacks after a few seconds. It was way too soon for the other to tire out and he didn't feel the kid moving to try and regroup. In fact he felt like he just stopped where he was.

Confused Naruto paused as well, crooking his head to the right at the lack of violence. When he opened his eyes he was meet with a ten year old sitting on the ground, his tiny arms wrapped around his legs and face hidden into his knees, seeming for all the sense in the world defeated. It was so unlike the kid that Naruto was in front of him in a flash checking for any visible injuries with his eyes. He hadn't tried to fight hurt had he?

"Hey you alright?" He asked after confirming there was no wound wondering what had brought this reaction up.

He got no response which made him frown in worry. The child just started shaking, and after a moment, a faint sob broke out from him. What the hell?

Naruto didn't know what was happening, didn't know what had cause this to happened but he knew what he needed to do. Bringing the smaller male into his arms, regardless of the struggle he was met with, the blond started rocking back and forth humming softly. He rubbed comforting circles into the tiny back hoping to make the other feel safe again. He felt Ace fight against him for a while before the boy slumped into him, rubbing his wet face into the ninja's chest. Suddenly it was like a dam broke and the boy was all right bawling. He hiccupped loudly and shook all over but clung to Naruto like his life depended on it.

The ninja returned the hug just as tight, softly whispering into the raven locks "Shhhhh. It's okay. I'm here. I got you."

The two stayed like that until Ace's breaths even out about twenty minutes later. Naruto stood with the sleeping child safely tucked in his arms and walked back to his camp site. Whatever was bothering Ace, needed to be talked about, and Naruto wasn't taking no for an answer.

They spent the whole day talking about parents, and burdens. Naruto was a little shocked to learn about Ace's dad but he made sure to let the kid know he was no demon, no matter how much the kid denies it.

It was a hard conversation to have but eventually, Ace relaxed completely around him and was even willing to train with Naruto for a while. The blond ninja loved the bright light in the silver eyes, as the kid raise his hands to follow the Leaf village basic fighting style that Naruto was teaching him.

He got his first student in the bag.

* * *

 

"What did you do with Ace?!"

Naruto turned tired eyes to the blond child hovering over him, not paying mind to the pipe against his throat. "Would you not shout? I'm trying to sleep."

Sabo sneered at him before apply pressure to the pipe. "Where. Is. My. Brother."

"Sleeping. Like I'm trying to do." Naruto mumbled nodding his head to the side of the tent covered by a cloth. After Ace's melt down the teen thought it would be best to put up something that would give his guest some privacy when he woke. After all he knew from expertise just how far a little bit of fabric did to reassure someone.

"Sleeping?" The intruder asked eyes still filled with mistrust.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we were training and I guess he tried himself out. I brought him here so he could have a good night's rest and out of the rain. You can go see him if you want."

He watched as the top hat wearing child thought over his words before removing his pipe. He kept his eyes on the yawing teen but moved over to the cloth almost desperately. On the other side laid Ace, covered perfectly by two blankets and sleeping ontop of the mattress Naruto carries in his seals at all times. He looked so peaceful it brought a smile to the older male's face.

"Sabo, you can take him home tomorrow morning. Don't even think about walking back through this rain- you'll catch a cold." The teen ordered as he turns in his sleeping bag so his back face them. "The mattress is big enough for both of you so sleep there. Make sure to cover yourself with both blankets. It gets super chilly at night."

"Why do you care?" The question was whispered but he was happy to note Sabo had moved to do as he was told.

"Because you guys are worth it." Naruto answered.

He pretended not to hear the gasp.

When he woke the next morning both boys were gone along with his mattress. Naruto wasn't even annoyed.

* * *

 

Luffy stared up at him.

Naruto looked down to keep eye contact.

"Did you really give Ace and Sabo a bed?" The child asked.

"No they stole it" Naruto responded.

"Oh." The boy looked disappointed

Naruto rubbed his neck before asking "Do you want a bed too? I'll buy you one."

The smile he received was blinding.

* * *

 

"Can you teach me that?" Sabo asked, watching as Naruto placed his traps around the clearing.

By now it was common to find the boys near him.

All three were over the moon when Naruto offered to train them, though Luffy's and Ace's reaction to the word train had him worried- who had scared them so much they both tried to run away?- and spent hours upon hours following him around. He didn't mind in fact the ninja found it rather adorable, regardless of what they were doing. He had set up training dolls around the forest for them to practice with, had taken each to the side to help further their development and made sure to banged them up afterwards. Luffy's bloodline had been a concern at first, seeing as there were no family members nearby to explain the family trait to the ninja but he soon found out the problem that stood in the way.

Luffy tended to throw his arm to the ground, and not expect the rubber's path way.

Naruto fixed that the first week their official training with him started. The kid didn't have full control yet, but at least now he could actually hit something when he wanted to. It wasn't much but it was something.

Ace's Taijustu was coming along nicely. After he had the Leaf basic form down, Naruto had moved him to the Fire-style of the Uchiha Clan. He knew that fighting style almost as well as his own, and was happy that the quick motions worked for the kid. It almost seemed like Ace had been born in his world to the actual clan with how fast he picked it up. The ex-villager had to fight back the urge to puff out his chest every time Ace practice.

Sabo had been more focus on the varies of weapons Naruto used much to the surprise of the oldest. The younger blond had all but demanded the Jinchuuriki to teach him how to throw a shuriken, when he happened to walk in on the ninja's own training. Now he stood at the ready, a small weapons pouch at each hip filled up by the kunai and shudiken he was learning to throw. It was hilarious to see him practice because Sabo turned out to have as much luck as he did when Naruto was in the academy but it didn't seem to stop the younger.

Naruto turned to see all three of his students watching his finial trap come to life with awe eyes.

"Yeah, so back home this trap is called, Nightwake, and this is how you do it…"

The lesson began.

* * *

 

"Get your hands off them." His voice came out more like a growl but Naruto didn't practically care.

He had wondered what had taken the boys so long too met at their usual spot but thought it was probably due to their Pirate Fund again. Though the children did not know, Naruto had long ago found out their little hiding place, and had added some extra protection to the fund via seals. He knew that whenever they didn't spend time with him, the kids were either training , hunting or mugging people.

With their new training, the kids were expanding their range to much stronger opposites and were taking them down like flies. Their pirate fund was skyrocketing by the boat loads.

He guessed he shouldn't be so proud of the fact but he was, so the blond ninja let them continue their activities. He made sure to place some hidden clones in the junk yard however, in case the kids every bite off more than they could chew and needed immediate assistance. He hadn't felt the need to step in so far, even when the boys were left covered in wounds since their lives weren't in danger and the ninja wouldn't fight their battles for them. In the long run, baby all three would hurt more than help.

Today however he was glad his clones were nearby.

He didn't know the full story of what was happening but from the way all three children were surrounded by the pirate group, and the smug Noble that smirked down at them, the ninja knew it wasn't one he would like. Ace and Luffy were shouting out in desperation to the shaking Sabo who was walking towards the Noble. Screaming at him to leave them and run before his freedom was stolen once more. Naruto had some suspicions about Sabo's behavior before, because no matter how much he tried to hide it, the boy had the air of someone from a higher class. True it was dulling a bit by living with the other two but any ninja worth their salt could tell someone's social status by their body langue.

And right now, Sabo's was telling him that the blond child did not want to go any near the ugly Noble but was being forced to.

Naruto felt his blood boil at the tears in his students' eyes, so with the intent to bring down all the nine tail wrath on the group of men before him, the Leaf ninja stepped out growling out his command.

"N-naruto!" Luffy screamed from the ground. A man had him pinned with a gun pointed at his head, the poor boy was sobbing "They want to take Sabo away!"

The already cold blue eyes of the teen seem to glow a demonic light before sending a warm smile towards the down boys. Ace was also being held down his eyes filled with worry and fear. "I won't let them Luffy. I promise. So don't worry alright?"

"Think you can do anything to stop us boy?" A common thug taunted from the crowd.

Naruto tilted his head to the side a bit before blurring out of sight only to reappear next to the man. He leaned in to whisper into the shocked man's ear "Oh, believe me. I can ."

It was a slaughter.

They tried to defend themselves, they really did, but Naruto was not in the mood to give out mercy. He attacked quickly and painfully. Each time he moved someone screamed in pain. He broke bones with each punch, chopped off a few limbs and knocked out those that ran. They had been willing to hurt defenseless children, so the ninja thought it was only fair they get the same treatment. The ones holding on to his boys were dealt with first. Naruto would not allow the enemy to hold a hostage if he could avoid it. As soon as Ace and Luffy were free, Sabo had made a mad dash for them. They crumbled to the ground in a desperate hug, sobbing to each other in fright.

Naruto placed himself in front of them as he faced the only two people left. The Noble and the Pirate captain.

"W-what are you?" the pirate asked terrified of the teen before him.

"Their friend." The blond said stalking towards the coward with a sneer "And you tried to hurt them."

"W-we were only doing what he told us to! It was a nothing but a job!" The dark skin man screamed pointing an accusing finger to the pale Noble.

"I do jobs too, you know. I have to do what I'm told too, when on a mission. But then again, I'm also the one who accepted them." Naruto said his eyes cold and accusing but developing a mad glint. "Why, should you be any different, and why should I not kill you? I really want to kill you. "

The man screamed before shooting at the teen. Naruto rolled his eyes, deflecting the bullets easily with a chakra influenced kunai. Soon the gun was empty, and in one flick of the wrist Naruto had him down by a kunai at the knee. He screamed as he hit the ground but blue eyes were already on the last target.

The noble was trembling as Naruto sneered at him too, hand raising his Kunai to throw when the man suddenly yelled out "W-wait! I can pay you as much as you want!"

That got the blond interest. "Pay?"

The noble seemed to get more confidence by this response as he straightened, smug grin back on his face. "Yes, I'm of noble blood. Name you price and I will pay it fully."

The ninja tilted his head to the side, in thought, "You want to pay me to let you go?"

"And to return my son." The noble answered sending a superior look to the children behind the ninja. He heard Luffy whimper, Sabo held his breath and Naruto could all but feel Ace's tense form. He felt eyes burn into his back all three wondering what he would do. They knew by now that if Naruto wanted to crush them, they would be unable to beat him. If he betrayed them now they could do nothing to stop him.

"Sabo is your son?" The ninja asked.

"Yes, but he went missing five years ago. I came to get him back." The noble said "He should have known not to run away. It is the job of the children to live as their parents demand"

The whiskered teen hummed before releasing a good amount of killing Intel that had everyone besides himself and his boys gasping. All those that were still conscious clutched their throats, feeling death itself embracing them. One by one they each witnessed their own death by the _demon_ in the shape of a adolescent male. It was enough to make the Noble foam at the mouth, shit his pants and fall unconscious but not before he heard the words that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

" _Don't you dare come near Sabo or the others again. I_ _ **will**_ _paint the ground red with that pretty noble blood if you do."_

* * *

 

The flames were everywhere. The nobles and royal family watched with horror filled eyes as everything they knew was consumed by the fire. One by one screams filled the air of the unlucky that hadn't been able to get out of the houses they were trapped in. Buildings collapsed left and right, sending dust into the air. Mothers were crying as they clutched to the tiny still bodies in the streets. People ran to and for trying to find a way out but the heat was unbearable and the smoke made it darker than anyone had ever seen the sky before.

Everything was in a hue of red.

There was no escape however, and everyone would eventually die. Already the stench of burning flesh made many throw up the fancy meal they had for supper until nothing but acid came out. For some this was the first time they ever felt truly empty stomachs and they wondered how so many people had been able to live with the feeling.

The wall that they once loved, for it keep all those beneath them out, was now caging them in. The gate would not open not matter how much they plead for them to, no matter how much they pounded on the wood, no matter how much they screamed.

They were going to die and no one cared.

" _Good thing they are burning trash tomorrow."_

_"Sleep tight, and remember the vermin die tomorrow!"_

_"I bet they are running around panicking right now. Ha! Like they could escape the flames."_

_"Well its about time someone did something about that trash pile. If you ask me, we should have killed them all a long time ago"_

Everyone still alive froze as their own voices came from above. It was what they had said or thought of when the fire was set to Gray Teminal. The words they said in the comfort of their homes sleeping peaceful as the horizon turn red.

One woman looked up to the sky only to scream in fright at the sight of larger size version of herself lighting the roof of a house with a torch that oddly resembled her family crest. It was like looking into a mirror at a fun house. She recognized her hair, her body , her voice even but her expression had made the blood in her veins freeze. It was one of pure superior scorn and glee at the misery she was causing. Her duplicate sneered down at her when they locked eyes. " ** _vermin like you shouldn't even look at me!"_**

The woman could do nothing but sob as she was killed by flames she set, wondering if the man she told that to not two days ago felt the same helplessness she did. God, all he had asked was for directions, and she had him exiled for being poor. He had died in the fire like all the others. She screamed in regret for all she done as the flames ate her whole, the laughter of her other self a haunting farewell.

A voice, like God himself was punishing, suddenly screamed above the noise of death.

" ** _Witness what you have done, and_** **suffer the consequences.** ** _"_**

The screams echoed throughout the night as High Town was destroyed by giants; giants, that were Nobles with too much power and so little care for the smaller beings that were powerless.

It wasn't until everyone had been killed by the fire that a soft voice whispered into the night

"Release."

Everyone awoke the next morning traumatized and a little bit humbled.

* * *

 

 _Ace had been acting strange around me lately._ Naruto thought, head almost completely under the hot water.

He had missed the hot springs resort form the Leaf and because he could not find one in town, created his own by the use of justu. He had shift the earth until it form a water fall like structure on both sides, pressing the ground into the shape of a small lake. Then had added water with a small water dragon justu, until it was almost filled, afterwards he used Sasuke's fireball justu to spit flames until the water was nice and hot. To keep the temperature the same at all times the bond happily applied seals at the bottom of the hole. He build a little Inn to the side, and watched as people flocked to his business with a satisfied smile. He had of course given the boys a gold pass, which allowed them to enter for free whenever they wanted.

The way their faces lit up as they first tried out the baths still had him smiling- even though Luffy had been oddly affect by the water.

"N-Naruto. Can, um , can I come in?" A timid voice asked snapping the teen from his thoughts. He turned to look at the boy he was thinking about surprise to find Ace staring at the ground.

"Hey Ace! Sure come on in the water feels great Dattebayo!" He answered shifting away to make room. He grinned at the ten year old who shift a bit before walking into the water.

"T-thank you." The lad said, face red.

He had gotten so polite ever since asking Luffy's mother figure to teach him manners. Apparently the boy wanted to properly thank him for saving his brothers, along with a man named Shanks who had saved Luffy before the ninja met them. He found it cute and had accepted the thank you with a smile and a rub of the raven hair.

"So what you been up to?" The sixteen year old asked as he turned to the boy who couldn't drag his gaze away for the water.

"J-just hunting and stuff. Luffy and Sabo wanted to, you know, take a bath so we came." The freckled lad answered face flushing further. He sunk into the water unaware of the worried frown directed at him.

It was worrying to the ninja because for the life of him he could not figure out why Ace's face always seemed to be a hue of red. It reminded the ninja of his friend Hinata back when the girl had less confidence but unlike her Ace didn't faint at the sight of him. So obviously it wasn't because the boy had developed feeling for the older male. Naruto may have only had one girl say she liked him but he noticed some of Sasuke's fangirls faint at the sight of him too so that must be the indicator of someone feelings. So in his mind, Ace was just being strange.

Maybe he was getting sick? Was it a side effect of the Narcolepsy he was diagnosed with? Should he get another doctor to get a look at him? Was taking Ace to get a check up once not enough?

"NARUTO!" a blur of rubber limbs slammed into him before he could think more about the troubling new shy attitude of his student. The blond teenager laugher as Luffy jumped onto his back , a more detained Sabo following close behind with a calm smile.

"Guess what?! I caught a crocodile all by myself today!" The little energy ball cheered.

"Really Dattebayo?! Good job Lu! Tell me everything!"

He spent the rest of his bath listening to a epic tale of three hunting brothers. How relaxing it was.

* * *

"Good luck out there you two." A twenty three year old Naruto said.

He faced the two seventeen year olds who had flourished into fine young adolescences over the past seven years they were together. Ace still couldn't look him in the eye properly but he throws an excited smile at him from his little boat anyway. Next to him Sabo tied a bag into his own boat double checking to make sure he had everything he needed for his trip. Today would be the day they left Dawn Island to follow their dreams, and conquer the seas. As promised Ace would be the captain of his own boat while Sabo would find a crew to call him captain as well. They would be splitting up but would forever remind brothers.

Naruto had taught them each almost everything he knew and had even managed to help unlock their version of chakra. It was weaker because they could not manipulate the elements like the ninja could but it did make them able to sense attacks, harden their bodies and even knock out weaker opponents without touching them. The last one Ace and Luffy had been naturals but Sabo didn't seemed to be able to do so, if it wasn't due to Naruto killing Intel release training the blond would probably be the only one unable to use it. Both teens were at the level of high jounin and quite frankly Naruto couldn't be prouder.

"Thanks Ruto." His fellow blond said before bowing in the older males direction "For everything"

Naruto grinned at him. "You're welcome. Now go out there and give them hell!"

Ace whooped as he released his sails, letting the wind take him away. Sabo laughed loudly as he did the same.

"BYE ACE! BYE SABO!" screamed Luffy on his right, waving his arms as much as he could. The boy still had a ways to go, and he would be staying with the blond ninja for three more before he too left the nest. Naruto knew his power level to be near high chunin but that wasn't enough for him to survive alone, so the bond man had held him back from going as well.

"Bye Luffy! I'm off to make my dream come true!" Ace screamed back waving just as much.

"By Luffy! The next time you hear about me I'm going to be one of the people to change the world!" Sabo screamed too, hands cupping his mouth as they had sailed quite a bit out. "Naruto please take care of him! And keep Gramps away too!"

Naruto threw his head back and laugh. It was true that the marine vice admiral was tough and had given the teen quite the work out the day they met he was also for to be around. For some reason the old man seemed to like him. Naruto was the only one who could distracted Garp long enough so his grandkids could make a run for it. The man was also happy that someone else was teaching the kids how to fight, and even asked him to try to convince the three brats to become marines in his stead. Apparently under Naruto's teachings the three were better candidates for the marines corps. (it still made the blond man sad however when he thought of Garp's desperate need for the World Government to accept his grandkids as valuable weapons. The old man knew they would be killed for their parentage otherwise. Naruto felt no need to lie about that.)

"I will dattebayo! See you guys soon!" He screamed back waving an arm with glee wondering what he was going to tell the old man when he came to visit next time.

Luffy and Naruto stood waving at the boats that grew smaller and smaller in the horizon until they were barely out of sight. This was why it surprised them when Ace's voice suddenly scream from afar.

"Naruto! When the whole world knows my name….I'M GOING TO TELL YOU HOW I REALLY FEEL!"

Well. Shit. Did not see that one coming.

* * *

He stood watching as Luffy sailed away feeling oddly empty yet satisfied.

Naruto knew this day would come. It was Luffy dream after all but, it had felt too quick that his youngest brat turn seventeen. Over the last three years, Luffy had been turned into his prize pupil and he couldn't image a life where the rubber teen wouldn't be there every morning to enjoy large unhealthy amounts of ramen with. The two had made a routine to train in the morning then split up to do any errands they each had. Naruto still ran many businesses and was currently richer then the King of Goa but to keep his money flow steady the man had to occasionally step in so his clones knew what to do.

His power that came with said money had allowed him to have top notch information about Ace and Sabo. Both have been doing well for themselves.

Ace had been a high coming rookie, leader of the Spade Pirates and had over a five million beli reward on his head. His student's fighting style was rumored to take down whole armies and that was without the help of his devil fruit. Currently Ace was the second commander of the Whitebeard crew, most feared in the word.. Not bad for the three years he was out.

Sabo had been a well known pirate too for the first year, creating the Freedom Pirates by raiding slavers and slave owners, he was feared for his not quite Conquer haki that apparently many couldn't deflect, that was until he was recruited by the Revolutionary army. Currently his blond student was Chief of staff and kicking butt at it too.

The days had past in a haze and before he knew it, Luffy had started packing for his journey. It was a little hard to say goodbye since Luffy's not a bloodline but a devil fruit had been hard to turn into a weapon luckily both had creativity to pull it off. His student was leaving the island with a high jounin level statues as well. Naruto was once again proud.

"Goodbye Luffy!" he screamed on last time when the teen turn his attention to the sea monster that had tried to eat him. The boy waved back to him after a big blast of killing Intel had the monster foaming at the mouth.

"Bye Naruto! I'm going to be the King of the Pirate!"

The twenty six year old man knew he had done right when not even three months later Luffy's first bounty was published.

May the world survive his three little brats.


	2. Ace's POV

The first time Ace saw Naruto was the day that changed his life.

It had been a day like any other, back when he and his brothers were still snot nose brats running amuck in the forest.

They had been busy looting from the locals and both his brothers were running high on adrenaline from the amount they manage to snatch that day. Normally Ace would have called it a night- one would think Sabo was the sensible one when it came to calling it quits but the blond was by far more reckless then he, so the freckled boy was the one tasked with ending their muggings.- but that particular afternoon had him pausing. He had felt it in his bones that they needed to keep going. Just one more, just one more poor sap to rob then they could go home.

With that in mind he had directed his brothers to one of their best hunting grounds hoping to find one last fool who carried a bit more on themselves.

They had made their way to the west edge of the forest hoping to find someone alone out late. They got lucky when a distracted blond teen strolled right by their hiding place, seeming complete out of place among the trash piles. The blond was tall, shoulders squared with pride, strides long and sure. He lacked all the dirt that came with living in the Gray Terminal, and was so bright and happy he practically screamed "easy target" to the powerful children. Later after the blond had token them under his wing the three realized that his ability to be carefree in such a dangerous area, yet be able to carry himself with confidence was a sign that he was by no means an _easy_ target.

Most times, people like him were stronger than their appearance let on, a lesson all three brothers learned the hard way but never forgot. They never underestimated anyone ever again.

But that was years later, right at that moment, all Ace could remember was studying the blond teen with a cocky smirk, slightly amused at how the older male seemed to be on an adventure among the filth. He kind of resembled an excited Luffy but much more mature as the freckle child watched him, his brothers at his side. It had been oddly enduring. Especially with the whiskered checks pulling apart for a happy grin on the stranger's face.

He walked between piles, pausing to pick up old cloths, broken wood or simple push trash away exclaiming in glee whenever he found something of interest. Then the teen would place whatever caught his fancy in his side shoulder bag and move on with a soft hum. It was obvious by his wandering that the guy didn't live nor come to the Gray Terminal often and was most likely his first time there. This was good; it gave the three boys home turf to work with.

They followed him for a while making sure to not to close but not let him get too far that they would lose him. The brothers all knew to bid their time when it came to attacking someone; after all they didn't want the person too alert when it was go time. People reacted worse when caught off guard, and they needed to make sure the stranger wandered a little farther away from any possible help he might have brought along. There was always the danger of one of their former victims seeking revenge after all.

They spent a good hour following the blond male who lacked the paranoid wariness any resident of this hell hole carried with them and the observation made the two ten year olds grin.

The mid-teen year old was probably one of those middle class kids that thought it would be "fun" to visit the dangerous parts of the island. Most of those kids never really thought about the danger that could be waiting for them and often times were unable to defend themselves property.

"He looks like he has some fair amount on him" Sabo whispered beside him as Ace studied the teen that had stop to examine a broken clock with strange wonderment. He turned it this way and that, pocking at it on all corners before shacking it and holding it up to his ear. Had the guy never seen a metal clock before?

"Yeah let's get him!" Luffy cheered forcing Ace to smack him to the ground as Sabo dove down behind the bushes. Ahead of them the teen paused, and they held their breath as he scanned his surroundings but when he shrugged and turn back to his pile of junk Ace let out a relief breath. Geez, he loved his baby brother but the kid didn't know the meaning of stealth.

Still it was best to act now, the sun had long set and journeying through the forest was a challenge enough during the day. A quick nod to Sabo, was all he needed t do before rushing out of the bushes. He felt more then saw his brothers, two steps behind him and the rush of affection the thought brought him was enough for him to give a leaping start. Just as he was gaining some good air, the stranger tuned with a knowing grin, facing the three running children in a calm matter.

Ace in mid air it felt like the world suddenly slowed down because in that moment he locked eyes with the teen.

Blue.

For a moment all Ace could register was how blue the blond's eyes were. It was liked staring into the clearest part of the ocean, where the reef ended and the endless waves began. He often times marveled at it whenever he sat by his Cliffside, wondering where the waves would take him and wondering what the sea had in store for him. It was his favorite color.

Memorized the boy didn't see the fist until it was too late. The older male had punched him out of the air and was upon the other two long before he even hit the ground. He rolled over onto his stomach to push himself up but he froze when both Luffy and Sabo hit the ground as well, having no luck against the grinning blond teen. Ace remembered growling in furry at the sight of his two brothers covered in bruises, picking up his pipe, and dashing for the unprotected back of the older blond but then it was a blur. His eyes couldn't keep up with how fast the other moved, no matter how hard he tried.

Naruto was and always had been faster than anyone's his ever seen, even years later when he became the second commander of the Whitebeard crew.

There was a moment, just a small moment, where Ace thought he would die that day. The three boys had always come out on top when it came to fighting the thugs of Gray Terminal but he never once thought there would be a day someone would be able to defeat them. He wasn't ready for watching himself be helpless to be able defend his brothers. But that what he saw when his legs gave out on him and he glanced up in time to see the blond raised a spiked pipe at Luffy looking for all intentions of stabbing the little raven haired boy.

Ace had been terrified; not for his life but for the life of the little straw hat wearing child that was happy he was alive.

He was going to watch Luffy die, being unable to do anything to help.

And then the blond had surprised him with one simple sentence. "Don't let your enemy get behind you so much."

He then, much to Ace's relief, removed the threatening pipe away from the youngest with a soft huff. Sabo had let out a small noise next to him when that happened and the raven haired male to this day couldn't tell if it was a sigh of relief or a hiss of anger.

With that Naruto sat all three down, waving a finger at them like a disappointed mother outlining the finer ways in trailing a person. He pointed out that the setting sun had reflected onto Sabo's goggles which was rookie mistake, apparently, then gave Luffy three different explanations on why he needed to make sure his steps were softer because he had been hearing the kid run for miles now and wasn't pleased with how much noise the child made. Then his eyes- those amazingly blue eyes- had landed on Ace and the freckled boy had been _lost._

He nearly didn't hear the older male lecture him about his pipe's casting shadow which gave his position away more times then what was right, or how he should of concentrated on saving his "teammates" instead of attacking him when it was obvious they were out classed.

After that the blond had waved them away with a soft "Hurry off, it's getting pretty late"

They turned while the getting was good and left making sure not to return right away to their hideout just in case the older blond followed them. With each turn and twist they made through the forest, the boys glanced all around them terrified of spotting anything even remotely resembling yellow or orange. This lasted for a good two hours or so but the two ten year olds were happy that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. After a while they found their way back home ready to pass out for the night.

Ace fell asleep that night dreaming about that shade of blue.

For the next seven years that what all he dreamed of too, seeing as Naruto decided they were worth the effort to help and train each day to the best of his abilities. It was sometimes still starting to think about, but it was nice to have someone around looking after them.

* * *

 

It was on his eleven birthday that he realized his feelings for Naruto.

That day Ace had run away from his brothers, unable to handle their undivided attention when his stomach was rolling in disgust. The freckled lad hated his birthday, it was the day of his innocent mother's death and the day a demon had been allowed to breathe air. It reminded him that his existence was a sin, making him feel so danm disgusting and worthless. Even though he felt like this almost all year it was always worse on his actual birthday, especially since he had panic attacks regularly on that day. Each year, the day got harder and harder for Ace to handle. His self hate hit him without warning, so much so he started hurting himself in order to focus on the outer pain instead of the inner.

He didn't want anyone knowing about that – he refuse to let them see that they got to him- so he would spend the day training without his pipe and "accidently" hurt his hand when practicing. He did so each year since he was seven. Sabo, already used to it, had let him run off first thing in the morning, nodding at him with a proud smile, distracting Luffy so he could find a spot to train. His thought he was putting extra thought into his future and approved. Ace was terrified of what he would think if he ever found out the truth.

_Don't think about_

Sabo would find him to be weak and disgusting.

_Don't think about_

He would probably not want to be his bother anymore.

_Don't think about_

Luffy would realized he wasn't worth loving any more if he knew

_Don't think about_

He wouldn't look up at him with admiration if he knew how _weak_ Ace really was.

 ** _Don't think about_**!

With a grunt Ace slammed his fist against a rock, spitting his knuckles in the process, trying his best to get his brain to shut off as pain traveled up his arm.

"Raise your hands a bit more and put your right foot forward" a disembodied voiced said behind him.

Ace wasn't expect anyone to find him this far in the forest which was why he jump a good foot off the ground. He spun around to glare bloody murder at the person who dared to walk in on him. It was Naruto of course- he always found Ace without trouble- the blond had been around a lot more, his tailoring business booming because of the fur he hunted. He was good at what he did, Ace knew because the shirt he had been wearing – a white one with red flames licking the edges of both the bottom and the sleeves- was comfortable and flexible enough to let him go about his daily life without worry.

When he was ten, it had been odd to know he had more clothes to wear even if he would tear or ruin the ones he wore already while out in the forest. Naruto's gift, the bag of clothes, made his little chest burn with an emotion he wasn't used to. He couldn't understand why his heart always skipped a beat whenever the blond smile nor why he hated how much attention Nartuo gave to Luffy or Sabo. The blond had spent time and time again fighting off the three children but he never hurt them too much. In fact as far as the freckled child had known the teenager went out of his way to fix their fighting styles each chance he got so the boys wouldn't get hurt further by making the same mistakes.

Ace hadn't known how to react to kindness, especially when it came to training. So he fell back into old habits.

While Luffy beamed up at Naruto, Ace scowled.

While Sabo nodded in gratitude, Ace hissed in his direction.

And when facing him on the day of his birth, Ace lashed out. Of course, He was still a child one that wasn't quite stable at the time- then again, Ace hadn't been completely stable until Whitebeard became his father- and he hadn't even been able to land a single blow on Naruto. The blond had merely given that stupid I-find-your-attempts-to-hurt-me-cute smile and danced out of all his strikes without a care in the world. This had only worked to anger him more, causing the small child to work harder to at least _hit him._

It lasted for a while until one of Ace's panic attacks hit him mid swing and the small child could do nothing to push it away like he normally did.

The raven haired child had curled up on the ground terrified of what was happening, he hadn't even been aware of Naruto calling out to him. IT wasn't until a sob broke out from him- the forest was moving, closing in on him, he heard ringing bells everywhere and _he couldn't feel his legs or arms-_ that he was reminded of the blond teenager being in the same clearing as him. Because Naruto had helped him though it, had rubbed calming circles into his back against that terrifying numbness, had held him with care and whispered reassurances into his hair.

Because Naruto had always been nothing but kind to him and understood him in a way no one else had been able to.

"I'm called a demon too, Ace. Have been from the day I was born." The blond said to him later that day, when Ace had shouted at him about his blood. He knew it would drive the other away, there was no way Naruto would stick around after knowing. He wasn't sure if he had told him to get rid of the fear he had or of the fear falling in love created. Even to this day Portgas D Ace could not tell you why he told Naruto about his birth father nor why he had expected the blond to still treat him the same.

Ace was so used to people treating him differently after learning. Most who knew called him demon, most who didn't know it was him _still_ called him demon, even Luffy had treated him differently. Though his little brother had been excited to learn he was the son of the old pirate king it was still _different._ Naruto no matter how amazing he is, was the same. But he treated him with _understanding, like he knew what it felt like to be a demon._ He showed Ace there were others like him. Other demons in the world that were alone and scared to admit it. And that they were able to help against the fear too.

"When I was born Ace a demon- a _real_ monster- attacked my home. He used the power of the nine tailed fox, a powerful spirit, to kill so many in the dead of night. My people are warriors, have been for generations, but we could do nothing against the attack. Yet they tried, with everything they had, to stop the spirit from reaching the village completely cause they needed to protect their families, their loved one, their precious people. When you have someone like that in your life, Ace, _you are truly strong._ But the fox was unstoppable, and my dad- leader of the village known as Hokage- had to seal it away in order to save others at the cost of not only his life but of my mother's as well." The blond had paused looking haunted by his memories for a second before whispering "The only way to seal the tailed beasts are by putting them into human sacrifices. The nine tailed fox went into a baby. Into a boy that spent the next twelve years as the most hated person in the whole village not even knowing he had been scarifies. The baby grew wondering if he had a right to exist each day until he realized he would prove them wrong if he ever wanted to feel _alive_."

Ace hadn't needed to be told that baby sat before him, not by the way Naruto's eyes gazed over with painful memories.

It was in that moment however when the blond shook his head to get rid of that depressing thoughts and turn to him with a smile, talking about how he meet others like him and created bonds that he realized why he a crush of all things on the blond. Naruto had token his worse fears turn them into hope with a few sentences, and made him feel like he was everything without realizing it. Gave him hope, that maybe just maybe, he would find bonds like those and have precious people who loved demons like him someday as well. It was more hope than he had felt in years.

* * *

 

Sabo knew about his feelings over the years. His blond brother had always been the smarter one of the three and much to Ace's embasment did everything he could to get Naruto to realize his feelings for him. Ace knew Sabo had his suspensions about what he flet for the older blond after finding him in Naruto's tent- and stole his mattress because Ace loved the smell of the other that clung to the thing. He of course told Sabo that he wanted it for the softness- but he didn't say anything upon the matter. He would however throw calculating looks at the freckled lad each time Naruto "accidently" stumbled upon them (Ace is sure the older blond knew where they were at all times, no matter what the other said)

Ace was able to ignore them well enough, even when he felt his face heat up each time the blond showed. His cursed cheeks flushed way to easily much to his chagrin but like the time where Makino gave them clothes- unneeded as Naruto gave them all a new wardrobe yet appreciated - his face couldn't stop the blood rushing to his cheeks. And Sabo, wouldn't let that go, even if he didn't know just how far Ace had fallen by that point.

His brother had given the older male approvable after the ex-ninja strolled in and royal handed his father his own ass on a plate for trying to take Sabo away. Which Ace could understand, after all, Naruto was the reason they got to stay together he was also the reason most nobles were less snobby as well, though the three never knew what the blond had done to cause that. Just that he would throw a genjustu- Naruto taught them all about the three basic Justus ninja used but he rarely used illusions so they guess whatever the blond used wasn't pleasant- upon the blue bloods every now and again to remind them that they too were human. Or something like, as the ex-ninja apparently didn't like the fact nobles got away with so much here and was a huge fan of pranks.

Not that it mattered, Naruto was probably the most powerful person on the island and he could use that power whenever he wanted, which included getting some nobles to lose their status. One Outlook household learns that the hard way. As far as Sabo was concerned however, all of the other blond's actions proved he could "take care of Ace". Over the years he ranted and ranted about Ace deserving only the best in life and how he truly believe Naruto could do that for him. Luffy once brought up to speed by their meddling brother agreed whole heartedly, the little traitor.

They both wanted Ace and Naruto together, which was a pain to deal with – _He wasn't good_ _ **enough**_ _for the ninja. He was a_ _ **waste of space and Naruto would never love him like that-**_ but they at least keep their mouths shut when Naruto was around. Even Luffy who was a loud mouth, knew not to say anything. He treated Ace's crush the same way he treated their pirate fund- not even torture would get it out of him. They won't leave him alone about confessing to their friend however when alone.

They convinced him to try before he left but in the end he could only shout a promise to someday do it right once far away from Dawn Island. Still it was a start.

* * *

 

He had been a pirate for about a month when he first gets hit on.

Now Ace at that time was just starting to assemble the Spade pirates. He already had three crewmates each celebrating the fact that a fourth member was joining them that night. His first mate, Johns was older than him by a few years but agreed to follow the younger boy after Ace had saved his sister from a gangster which would not understand the word no. Johns had apparently been intending on killing the man which would make him a criminal anyway when Ace first showed up to their home island. He was a great guy with brown hair, a brown beard and black eyes. Ace had at first wanted him on his crew because they shared a love for cowboy hats, his being orange and Johns' being white.

His second mate was also older than him but his joining was actually accidental. Ace had fished him out of the sea when the merchant boat he was on had gone down in a storm, Ruby being the only known survivor. The raven lad promised to take him to the nearest island but Ruby bonded with them and he decided to stay on the crew long before they dock again. He was a serious man with black hair, a pointy goatee and black eyes. His yellow hair band which was always tied around his hair, gave him a cool pirate look in Ace's opinion so he lets him become second mate as well as his navigator.

The third crewmate they pick up is a man named Jamie Luz. He was a noble that ran away after his parents had tried to marry him off. Normally it was the bride running but Jamie could not stand the nobles rotten way of life and he refused to marry a girl. Ace was still sort of shocked that when Jamie said girl he meant it. The bride to almost be was no older then eleven, while the runaway groom was in his mid twenties, and quite frankly he was proud of his crewmate for refusing that. The man was by far the tallest on his crew with raven straight hair. He dress similarly to Sabo- top hat, and a blue trench coat- which was why Ace gave him time to explain himself after catching the guy trying to steal from their boat. He was officially the Spade pirate sharp shooter after he explain his longing for freedom that the seas offered.

The mate that had join them that night was someone he rescued from slavery. Now in the East Blue it wasn't common to find slavers but it didn't mean there weren't any. It was sad to know that they caught more prey there as his home sea was considered the "weakest" and most times couldn't fight them off. His crew had stumbled upon a small island that had been taken over by a group of slavers for years now and were using it to catch more merchandise. They forced the slaves to pose as town's people and lure in unsuspecting victims to dock on the island. Buba, a fat tall man with pointy ears, was one of them. Ace knew from the moment he stepped onto the island that something was up. His Second Chakra- Naruto called Haki that seeing as the three boys didn't have the same biological system he did but had something similar- screamed at him about the men watching from the houses. He played it off but with a quick hand sign to his crew had the three mean tensing and more aware of their surroundings. They managed to keep a act of not knowing the danger until nightfall when the slavers stuck.

Ace made quick work of them long before he realized what was happening. Buba, had started a riot back in the cages the others slaves were kept in to try and fight for their freedom. He was impressed with that and offered the man a spot on his crew, while the ex-slaves threw the Spade pirates a party to thank them. His crews had each helped in their freedom as well and were more than happy to agree with Buba joining them. The ex-slave's eyes had watered a bit but he agreed after Ace not so subtly mentioning he could use someone's medical knowledge. After all Buba was posing as a town doctor when they arrive, he had to at least know something.

He sat on a log watching his crewmates dance with a bunch of happy woman around a bonfire made out of the buildings in the town- he could understand why they wanted to destroy that place- drunk off their asses when a pretty red haired female walked up to him. "Hi, mind if I join you?"

Ace grinned up at her, slightly drunk form the beer the grateful people shoved at him. "Hey! Not at all, go ahead."

She sat rather gracefully but a tad bit too close. Not that Ace minded, after growing up with the rubber ball known as Luffy, what even were personal bubbles?. Still he was surprised when she practically pushed herself into his lap while fluting her eyelashes at him. . "So, your pretty young to be a pirate captain. How long have you been at sea?"

"A month and yeah I am but it's always been my dream!" he said with a laugh after getting over his shock.

"Oh? Your dream you say? Want to know what mine is?" She asked as she lean a tad too much to his face. Her face was flushed but Ace ignored that due to the hand that was slowly sliding down his stomach. Wha-?

"Um..W-what is you dream then?" He asked suddenly nervous but he wasn't sure why. If anything Ace could have taken her out with his arms and legs tied behind his back yet she was intimating in a way he never knew before.

"My dream is to wake up next to a nice, glorious body like yours after a night of hot mind blowing sex-"

"I'M GAY!" He shrieked unable to hold off the blush

She blinked before recoiling back in horror. She apologized by bowing deeply at him then ran into the crowd looking mortified. Ace wasn't sure if he looked the same or not but Johns founding it hilarious wouldn't let it go for months on end. Luckily enough his first mate was willing to keep the interested ladies- he had a lot surprisingly- form getting to close to him afterwards. (He did try to be a wingman though each time, a _male_ was interested much to Ace's horror).

He learned that night that Portgas D Ace was a _horrible_ flirt and if anyone tried to flirt with him, it left the young pirate a nervous blushing mess. His crew liked to joke years later that if anyone really wanted his bounty all they had to do was try courting him as Ace would be too flustered to fight back. He hated how right they were.

* * *

 

Ace was just about to enter the Grand Line when he receives a letter via random bird.

By that time he had been sailing for about seven months and had gathered his first bounty. He was worth 20,000,000, not bad for someone from the East Blue but not nearly enough to reach his goal. Ace was disappointed that his home sea was fairly weak. He had found no challenge in the waters, not even a little against his foes so far. The truth was the Spade Captain was bored out f his mind when it came to battles, luckily the adventures he had while sailing were worth it. He wanted nothing more than to enter the Grade Line as quickly as possible but he realized his crew was just not ready for it.

While Ace had been training nearly all his life most of his men were just learning how to defend themselves properly. It was enough to rule the East Blue but by the rumors that surround the Grand Line- Naruto made sure to beat the lesson of having some Intel before acting into his skull- his crew would most likely get hurt or die. They weren't weak no, but they were strong either. He had to change that.

The Spade pirates managed to find a uncharted island close to the Red Line where he ordered his men to lay anchor and get some training done. They would not be moving from the island until Ace deemed them fit to sail on, much to the shock of his crew. At the time he gained three new members who were all a unused to his way of training. They were caught up to speed pretty quickly though by the others who were now used to Ace's random training whims. It was something he believed Naruto would have done, as the blond was always going on and on about teamwork, Ace had once or twice forced his men to do some team training whenever he could.

It just so happened he needed some training too, seeing as he found a Devil Fruit of his own on that island and it turned out to be the Mera Mera no Mi and was quite hard to control.

It was relaxing to have the whole island to themselves and that why Ace was not expecting a random bird to just suddenly land on top of his hat during the crew's reattempt to the "Bell Test" one of Ace's personal favorite training methods. He had just been about to burn the thing to a crisp for landing on his precious hat, when it let cry and shook it back at the crew. It was Jamie that pointed out the letter carrier strapped to the bird back that carried a scroll. Ace nearly had a heart attack when he spotted the Leaf Village symbol on it.

His crew watched confused as their captain read the scroll with wide eyes before demanding that they clean the ship to look as good as new. He then ordered the ship's chief- Noah a man with a bold head and a green shirt- to start practicing on making the best ramen he could make. Ace didn't give his men time to react as he ran around the island like a headless chicken both excited and nervous. He demanded Ruby to write their route on the unused part of the scroll then spent nearly three hours thinking on what to write back.

It was nerve wreaking because the letter was from someone he hadn't thought he see so soon.

It was a letter from Naruto.

He was coming for a visit.

"AGHHHHHHHH I'M NOT READY!"


End file.
